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A30 world news
Diahuebs 14 Juli 2022

EU rule of law report decries situation in Poland, Hungary

port said, adding anti-corrup- tracted struggle with Hun-
tion plans also left to be de- gary's nationalist govern-
sired. It also questioned the ment in an effort to force it
government's commitment to comply with EU rule of
to free media and said that law standards. Pointing to
"the general environment for deficiencies in judicial inde-
journalists continues to dete- pendence, crackdowns on
riorate." the media and civil society
organizations and inadequate
Poland and the EU's head- safeguards against corrup-
quarters in Brussels have tion, the European Com-
been fighting for years over mission has launched several
judicial independence and proceedings against Hungary
the dispute is far from re- for what it says are violations
solved, despite recent moves of EU rules.
in Warsaw. Poland must still
take more steps to ensure ju- Yet such proceedings have
dicial independence before it often failed to get Orban to
can receive any of the frozen change tack, and critics say
funds totaling about 36 bil- his government has flouted
lion euros ($39 billion). EU rules while misusing the
bloc's funds to enrich family
Hungary came in for perhaps members and politically con-
even tougher criticism, with nected businessmen.
the report saying "judicial
independence concerns ... The European Commission
remain unaddressed," while has withheld billions in post-
it said anti-corruption mea- pandemic financial support
(AP) — The European rule of law at home and if we EU." He insisted that Po- sures still fell woefully short. from Hungary over what it
Union's executive on continue to reinforce the rule land's government shouldn't It described a nation where calls insufficient safeguards
Wednesday decried the of law culture," EU Justice be ceding to EU demands. "where risks of clientelism, against corruption, and has
rule of law situation in Po- Commissioner Didier Reyn- The European Commission favoritism and nepotism in tailored a mechanism for
land and Hungary, center- ders said. has recommended that the high-level public administra- sanctioning member states
ing on perceived breaches functions of the minister of tion remain unaddressed." that fail to uphold the bloc's
in their judiciary and me- Even though Poland is at the justice and the prosecutor- rule of law standards.
dia in its annual report. forefront of EU's effort to general in Poland should be Orban imposed emergency
welcome war refugees from separate. powers to counter the pan- Even if the European Com-
As it comes against the back- Ukraine, it did come in for a demic but the report said that mission's report laid bare de-
ground of Russia's invasion lot of criticism regarding its Hungary, whose prime min- "the government has been ficiencies, some said that it
of Ukraine, the European judiciary independence and ister, Viktor Orban, is seen using its emergency powers lacked any teeth.
Commission said that it was the media. as Russia's best contact in the extensively, also in areas not In 2021, for example, the
all the more important for 27-nation EU, also stood out related to the COVID-19 commission launched two
the 27 nations to be a beacon Polish Justice Minister Zbig- for the criticism it got. pandemic as initially in- infringement procedures
of democracy on an unstable niew Ziobro, who also holds voked." against Hungary's govern-
continent. the job of prosecutor-gen- "Serious concerns persist re- ment over laws they said at-
"The EU will only remain eral, said the report was "yet lated to the independence of The European Commission tacked the LGBTQ commu-
credible if we uphold the another blackmail by the the Polish judiciary," the re- has been engaged in a pro- nity.

Drought: Italy warns a third of farm production at risk

(AP) — Italy's agriculture ties. losses, coupled with soaring infrastructure that national
minister warned Parlia- Patuanelli told lawmakers energy prices stemming from statistics agency ISTAT esti-
ment on Wednesday that a The government has de- that such droughts occur cy- Russia's war in Ukraine. mates loses 42% of drinking
third of Italy's agricultural clared a state of emergency in clically in Italy, roughly every water from distribution net-
production was at risk be- several northern regions be- five years, but that they are While unusual heat and lack works each year, in large part
cause of drought and poor cause of a prolonged drought projected to occur more of- of rainfall are to blame for due to old and poorly main-
water infrastructure, and and accompanying heat wave ten and "with ever more dev- the current crisis, Italy has a tained pipes.
that the situation is only that has dried up the Po Riv- astating consequences." notoriously wasteful water
going to get worse in years er, a crucial artery for irriga-
to come. tion across an area of north- He said the Po River basin is
central Italy that is a key currently the biggest worry
Stefano Patuanelli provided producer of fruits, vegetables "because the area concerns a
the latest data from govern- and grain. third of national agricultural
ment research institutes production."
which showed that Italy lost The drought followed un-
19% of its available water usually light precipitation "We're talking about the culti-
resources from 1991-2020 during the winter that de- vation of fruit, vegetables, to-
compared to 1921-1950, and prived mountains of fresh matoes and cereals, especially
that the next decades could snowfall which would nor- corn and rice," as well as the
see further decreases of up to mally feed rivers and reser- breeding farms that produce
40%. voirs in summer. The com- the region's famed Parmesan
bined climactic events have cheese and prosciutto.
"We are thus witnessing a been blamed for the July 3
slow but unrelenting wasting cleaving off of the melting Italian farm lobby Coldiretti
away of water availability in Marmolada glacier and ensu- has said the emergency has
our country," Patuanelli told ing avalanche that killed 11 already cost Italian farm-
the lower Chamber of Depu- hikers in northern Trento. ers about 3 billion euros in